Increasingly, vehicles are being equipped with sensors that generate data describing the surrounding environment and terrain. For example, some vehicles include sensor systems that provide images of the terrain and/or other objects in the vicinity of the vehicle. Further, other sensor systems, such as radar, have been used to detect the presence and position of objects in the vehicle's path. The data generated by these sensor systems may be utilized by various vehicular systems to provide vehicle control, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, speed control systems, lane departure systems, parking assistance systems and other active safety features. As such, these active sensor systems are conventionally used to assist the driver while driving to intervene in the control of the vehicle, for example, by braking or providing braking assistance.
In contrast to the dynamic responses of conventional systems, another type of accident risk involves collisions with objects when the vehicle is stationary. For example, a cyclist riding past a car may be subject to injury if an inattentive driver opens the door in the cyclist's path. However, conventional active safety sensor systems do not contemplate non-moving or slow moving safety situations.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a vehicle safety system that prevents collisions, particularly door or other closure collisions when the vehicle is stationary. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.